Kaza tourism final_lr

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF TRANSFRONTIER
CONSERVATION AREAS:
BASELINE OF TOURISM IN THE
KAVANGO–ZAMBEZI TFCA
Helen Suich,
Jonah Busch and Nathalie Barbancho
Paper No. 4
2005

Table of contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................................... 1
1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 The proposed Kavango–Zambezi TFCA....................................................................... 4
2. METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................................... 5
3. RESULTS................................................................................................................................. 9
3.1 Accommodation, northern Botswana............................................................................ 9
3.2 Accommodation, Livingstone, Zambia........................................................................ 13
3.3 Large hotels, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe...................................................................... 19
3.4 Accommodation, Upper Zambezi, Zambia.................................................................. 22
3.5 Accommodation, Caprivi, Namibia............................................................................. 27
3.6 Accommodation, Kavango–Zambezi TFCA................................................................ 31
3.7 Tour operators, northern Botswana ........................................................................... 34
3.8 Tour operators, Livingstone, Zambia ......................................................................... 38
3.9 Tour operators, Kavango–Zambezi TFCA.................................................................. 41
3.10 Summary of tourism activity in the Kavango–Zambezi TFCA.................................... 43
4. DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................................... 45
4.1 Sustainable tourism..................................................................................................... 46
4.2 Additional challenges.................................................................................................. 50
5. CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................ 51
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................... 53
APPENDIX 1 ACCOMMODATION ESTABLISHMENT SURVEY............................................................ 55
APPENDIX 2 TOUR OPERATOR SURVEY........................................................................................... 59
APPENDIX 3 TOURISM BUSINESS INVENTORY ................................................................................. 63
List of tables, figures and maps
Map 1 The proposed Kavango–Zambezi TFCA region................................................................................................... 6
Figure 1 Opening date of northern Botswana Establishments (n=20) ............................................................................ 11
Figure 2 Opening date of Livingstone establishments (n=42)........................................................................................ 16
Figure 3 Opening date of Upper Zambezi establishments (n=16) .................................................................................. 24
Figure 4 Opening date of Caprivi establishments (n=26)............................................................................................... 28
Figure 5 Opening date of establishments in the KAZA TFCA region............................................................................ 32
Figure 6 Opening date of tour operators in the KAZA TFCA region............................................................................. 42
Table 1 Sample and population size of establishments open in 2004 surveyed, by region, 2004.................................... 7
Table 2 Exchange rates for the period 1 January to 31 December, 2004......................................................................... 8
Table 3 Capacity per night of northern Botswana establishments, 2004.......................................................................... 9
Table 4 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, northern Botswana, 2004................................................. 10
Table 5 Share of accommodation sector by owners residence and ethnicity, northern Botswana, 2004........................ 10
Table 6 Origin of guests, northern Botswana, 2004 ...................................................................................................... 10
Table 7 Guests by category, northern Botswana, 2004................................................................................................... 10
Table 8 Method of booking accommodation, northern Botswana, 2004........................................................................ 10
Table 9 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), northern Botswana, 2004........................................................... 11
Table 10 Employment in accommodation establishments, northern Botswana, 2004.................................................... 12
Table 11 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), northern Botswana, 2004 ...................... 12
Table 12 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005.................................................................. 12
Table 13 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005....................................................... 13
Table 14 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005 .................................................................. 13
Table 15 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, northern Botswana, 2005 ................................... 13
Table 16 Capacity per night of Livingstone guesthouses, 2004 ..................................................................................... 14
Table 17 Capacity of Livingstone non-guesthouses, 2004 ............................................................................................. 14
Table 18 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Livingstone, 2004.......................................................... 14
Table 19 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Livingstone, 2004................................... 15
Table 20 Origin of guests, Livingstone, 2004................................................................................................................. 15
Table 21 Guests by category, Livingstone, 2004............................................................................................................ 15
Table 22 Method of booking accommodation, Livingstone, 2004 ................................................................................. 16
Table 23 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Livingstone guest houses, 2004............................................... 16

Table 24 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Livingstone non-guest houses, 2004 ....................................... 17
Table 25 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Livingstone all establishments, 2004....................................... 17
Table 26 Employment in Livingstone guest houses, 2004 ............................................................................................. 17
Table 27 Employment in Livingstone non-guest houses, 2004 ...................................................................................... 17
Table 28 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Livingstone, 2004 ................................. 18
Table 29 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Livingstone, 2005............................................................................. 18
Table 30 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Livingstone, 2005.................................................................. 18
Table 31 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Livingstone, 2005.............................................................................. 19
Table 32 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Livingstone, 2005 .............................................. 19
Table 33 Capacity per night of large hotels, Victoria Falls, 2004 .................................................................................. 20
Table 34 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Victoria Falls, 2004....................................................... 20
Table 35 Share of accommodation sector by owners residence and ethnicity, Victoria Falls, 2004 .............................. 20
Table 36 Origin of guests, Victoria Falls, 2004.............................................................................................................. 20
Table 37 Guests by category, Victoria Falls, 2004......................................................................................................... 20
Table 38 Method of booking accommodation, Victoria Falls, 2004 .............................................................................. 21
Table 39 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Victoria Falls, 2004 ................................................................. 21
Table 40 Employment in accommodation establishments, Victoria Falls, 2004 ............................................................ 21
Table 41 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Victoria Falls, 2004............................... 21
Table 42 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Victoria Falls, 2005 .......................................................................... 22
Table 43 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Victoria Falls, 2005 ............................................................... 22
Table 44 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Victoria Falls, 2005........................................................................... 22
Table 45 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Victoria Falls, 2005............................................ 22
Table 46 Capacity of Upper Zambezi establishments, 2004........................................................................................... 23
Table 47 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Upper Zambezi, 2004.................................................... 23
Table 48 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Upper Zambezi, 2004............................. 23
Table 49 Origin of guests, Upper Zambezi, 2004........................................................................................................... 23
Table 50 Guests by category, Upper Zambezi, 2004...................................................................................................... 23
Table 51 Method of booking, Upper Zambezi, 2004...................................................................................................... 24
Table 52 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Upper Zambezi, 2004.............................................................. 25
Table 53 Employment in accommodation establishments, Upper Zambezi, 2004......................................................... 25
Table 54 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Upper Zambezi, 2004............................ 25
Table 55 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Upper Zambezi, 2005 ....................................................................... 26
Table 56 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Upper Zambezi, 2005............................................................ 26
Table 57 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Upper Zambezi, 2005........................................................................ 26
Table 58 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Upper Zambezi, 2005......................................... 26
Table 59 Capacity per night of Caprivi establishments, 2004 ........................................................................................ 27
Table 60 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Caprivi, 2004................................................................. 27
Table 61 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Caprivi, 2004.......................................... 27
Table 62 Origin of guests, Caprivi, 2004........................................................................................................................ 28
Table 63 Guests by category, Caprivi, 2004................................................................................................................... 28
Table 64 Method of booking accommodation, Caprivi, 2004 ........................................................................................ 28
Table 65 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Caprivi, 2004........................................................................... 29
Table 66 Employment in accommodation establishments, Caprivi, 2004...................................................................... 29
Table 67 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Caprivi, 2004......................................... 29
Table 68 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Caprivi, 2005.................................................................................... 30
Table 69 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Caprivi, 2005......................................................................... 30
Table 70 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Caprivi, 2005..................................................................................... 30
Table 71 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Caprivi, 2005...................................................... 30
Table 72 Capacity of accommodation establishments, KAZA region, 2004.................................................................. 31
Table 73 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, KAZA region, 2004....................................................... 31
Table 74 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, KAZA region, 2004 ............................... 32
Table 75 Origin of guests, accommodation sector, KAZA region, 2004........................................................................ 32
Table 76 Guests by category, accommodation sector, KAZA region, 2004................................................................... 32
Table 77 Method of booking accommodation, KAZA region, 2004.............................................................................. 32
Table 78 Revenue and operating expenditures, accommodation sector (’000s), KAZA region, 2004........................... 33
Table 79 Employment in accommodation establishments, KAZA region, 2004............................................................ 33
Table 80 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), KAZA region, 2004 .............................. 34
Table 81 Capacity of tour operations, northern Botswana, 2004.................................................................................... 35
Table 82 Share of tour sector by owner residence and ethnicity, northern Botswana, 2004 .......................................... 35
Table 83 Origin of tour operator guests, northern Botswana, 2004................................................................................ 35
Table 84 Tour purchaser by category, northern Botswana, 2004 ................................................................................... 35
Table 85 Method of booking tours, northern Botswana, 2004 ....................................................................................... 35
Table 86 Destinations of tours offered, northern Botswana, 2004.................................................................................. 35

Table 87 Revenue and operating expenditures, accommodation sector (’000s), northern Botswana, 2004................... 36
Table 88 Employment in the tour sector, northern Botswana, 2004............................................................................... 36
Table 89 Local financial impacts of the tour sector (’000s), northern Botswana, 2004 ................................................. 36
Table 90 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, tour sector northern Botswana, 2005................................................ 37
Table 91 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, tour sector northern Botswana, 2005..................................... 37
Table 92 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005 .................................................................. 37
Table 93 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, tour sector northern Botswana, 2005.................. 37
Table 94 Capacity of tour operations, Livingstone, 2004............................................................................................... 38
Table 95 Share of tour sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Livingstone, 2004...................................................... 38
Table 96 Origin of tour operator guests, Livingstone, 2004........................................................................................... 38
Table 97 Tour purchaser type, Livingstone, 2004 .......................................................................................................... 38
Table 98 Method of booking tours, Livingstone, 2004................................................................................................... 38
Table 99 Destinations of tours offered, Livingstone, 2004............................................................................................. 39
Table 100 Revenue and operating expenditures, accommodation sector (’000s), Livingstone, 2004............................ 39
Table 101 Employment in the tour sector, Livingstone, 2004........................................................................................ 39
Table 102 Local financial impacts of the tour sector (’000s), Livingstone, 2004........................................................... 40
Table 103 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, tour sector Livingstone, 2005 ......................................................... 40
Table 104 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, tour sector Livingstone, 2005.............................................. 40
Table 105 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, tour sector Livingstone, 2005.......................................................... 40
Table 106 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, tour sector Livingstone, 2005........................... 40
Table 107 Capacity of operators, KAZA region, 2004................................................................................................... 41
Table 108 Share of tourism market by owner residence and ethnicity, KAZA region, 2004 ......................................... 41
Table 110 Origin of guests, KAZA region operators, 2004............................................................................................ 41
Table 111 Guests by category, KAZA region operators, 2004....................................................................................... 41
Table 112 Method of booking tours, KAZA region, 2004 ............................................................................................. 42
Table 113 Destination of tours, KAZA region, 2004...................................................................................................... 42
Table 114 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), KAZA region operators, 2004............................................... 42
Table 115 Employment in KAZA region operators, 2004.............................................................................................. 43
Table 116 Local financial impacts of tour operators (’000s), KAZA region, 2004........................................................ 43
Table 117 Share of tourism market by ownership type, total KAZA region, 2004 ........................................................ 43
Table 118 Share of tourism market by owner residence and ethnicity, total KAZA region, 2004................................. 44
Table 119 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), total KAZA region, 2004....................................................... 44
Table 120 Employment in total KAZA region, 2004 ..................................................................................................... 44
Table 121 Local financial impacts (’000s), total KAZA region, 2004 ........................................................................... 45
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge all survey respondents, whose participation made this work
possible. In particular, thanks go to the Livingstone office of the Zambia National Tourism Board,
the Victoria Falls Tourism Information Centre, Kasane office of the Botswana Ministry of Tourism,
and Francois Viljoen of Open Africa. This publication was financed by the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation. Data collection and analysis was supported by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No. 0114437.
Acronyms
BWP Botswana Pula
FTE full time equivalent
KAZA Kavango–Zambezi
NAD Namibian Dollar
OUZIT Okavango Upper Zambezi International Tourism initiative
TFCA Transfrontier Conservation Area
ZMK Zambian Kwacha
ZNTB Zambia National Tourism Board
ZWD Zimbabwean Dollar
$US/USD United States Dollar

Tourism in the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is a multi-objective
initiative involving parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The concept of a
major tourism destination based on the extensive network of protected areas and wildlife
populations has been discussed and developed over the last decade. Recently, the idea has been
revitalised by the ministers of those five countries, who seek to establish a world-class transfrontier
conservation area and tourism destination in the Okavango and Zambezi river basin regions of
those countries, within the context of sustainable development.
In recognition of the importance of tourism to the economic development objectives of TFCA
implementation, this study was undertaken to determine the current size of the tourism industry
within the KAZA TFCA, focussing on accommodation providers and tour operators. The survey was
conducted in northern Botswana, Livingstone, parts of Victoria Falls1
, along the Upper Zambezi
and in Caprivi. Almost 60 per cent of accommodation establishments and almost 40 per cent of tour
operators that were trading in 2004 were surveyed. The research focuses only on direct impacts
only – that is, the economic activity generated by the activities of tourists. Indirect and induced
effects are expected to be relatively small in the region, which is characterised by a relatively non-
diverse economy.
In 2004, accommodation establishments in the KAZA region had the capacity to house 8,312 guests
each night; the tour operators were able to host 2,926 guests per day. Of the available
accommodation capacity, 35 per cent was in Livingstone, 32 per cent in Victoria Falls, 17 in
northern Botswana, 12 per cent in Caprivi and just four per cent along the Upper Zambezi. It is
estimated that just over 318,640 guests spent one or more nights in the accommodation enterprises,
and 782,200 bednights were sold in the region. Livingstone made 39 per cent of total KAZA TFCA
sales, Victoria Falls made 25 per cent, northern Botswana made 23 per cent., Caprivi sold nine per
cent of total bednights and establishments along the Upper Zambezi sold the remaining four per
cent.
Just 34 per cent of tour operator capacity was found in northern Botswana, with 66 per cent in
Livingstone. Approximately 314,200 guests were taken on a tour by operators in 2004. Despite the
differences in capacity, sales were split evenly between operators in the two regions.
Total revenue generated by accommodation establishments and tour operations exceeded $US100
million in 2004. Accommodation establishments accounted for approximately 89 per cent of total
revenue generation in the KAZA TFCA. The sector generated approximately $US89.3 million in
that year. Accommodation services generated 64 per cent of total accommodation sector revenue,
restaurant and bar sales generated 31 per cent, four per cent was generated by tour services and
one per cent by ‘other’ (curio and shop sales, casino operations, golf courses, sales of firewood,
transfers and commissions on tour sales). 34 per cent of accommodation sector revenue was
generated in Victoria Falls, 28 per cent in Livingstone, 26 per cent in northern Botswana, and just
six per cent each in Caprivi and the Upper Zambezi.
Tour operators generated approximately $US10.8 million (11 per cent of total revenue). 96 per cent
of revenue earned was generated by sales of tours, with four per cent by sales of food and
beverages. Northern Botswana operators generated 64 per cent of total tour revenue, with
Livingstone generating the remaining 34 per cent.
1
Only the nine largest hotels in Victoria Falls were able to be sampled. No tour operators in Victoria Falls were
surveyed, so these results almost certainly underestimate the total importance of the town as a tourist hub.

2
The accommodation sector provided 89 per cent (4,913) of employment, with the tour operators
providing the remaining 11 per cent (616). Within KAZA tourism businesses, local employees made
up 94 per cent of the total workforce, non-local national employees two per cent, KAZA employees
comprised one per cent, and expatriates made up the remaining three per cent of the workforce.
Total employment in surveyed establishments was reported to be 5,529.
In 2004, a total of 5,204 local workers, 689 of them in part-time jobs, were employed in the tourism
industry. Local wages paid as a proportion of the total wage and salary bill across the KAZA
region were just 73 per cent, despite 94 per cent of employees being locally employed. Across the
region and across both sectors, males make up 61 per cent of the local workforce, with 39 per cent
of positions filled by women. In the accommodation sector, women accounted for 38 per cent of the
local workforce; in the tour operator sector, they accounted for only 22 per cent of local employees.
Just 48 per cent of non-wage operating costs were spent locally across the whole region, though the
proportion varied massively between regions and enterprises. Only 20 per cent of the profit
generated in the industry was earned by local owners, and it is assumed that virtually all profit
made by corporate and foreign owned enterprises is remitted out of the KAZA TFCA (as
headquarters of these companies are outside the region). The combination of non-wage operating
costs made outside of KAZA, and remitted profits represent considerable leakages from the local
economy.
A summary of strategies which could be adopted to assist the KAZA TFCA maximise the local
economic benefits from tourism, based on the principles of sustainable tourism, is presented. Such
strategies could include increasing local employment, improving the skills of local employees,
increasing the number of local enterprise owners, improving the financial sustainability of local
tourism enterprises and supporting joint venture partnerships between the private sector and rural
communities. Increasing local procurement, ensuring the equitable distribution of benefits,
mitigating the costs facing rural communities living with wildlife and ensuring the provision of
appropriate infrastructure and services will also be important components of a benefit maximising
strategy. A number of challenges facing policy makers have also been identified – including those
relating to policy harmonisation, ensuring the meaningful participation of rural communities in
planning and decision making processes, and ensuring that some of the financial resources
generated by tourism contribute to the costs of managing the wildlife populations and protected
areas that are essential to the sustainability of the tourism industry in the KAZA TFCA.
1. INTRODUCTION
Transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) are areas of land and/or sea that straddle international (or
sub-national) borders, that are jointly or cooperatively managed for conservation and/or sustainable
natural resource utilisation. The concept recognises that borders are political rather than ecological,
and aim to ensure that key ecological processes continue to function where borders have divided
ecosystems, river basins and/or wildlife migration routes.
The ecological rationale associated with transfrontier conservation areas is very similar to that of
simply increasing land area under sustainable management, but TFCAs attempt to improve the
cooperative management of shared resources, increase the area available for wildlife and plant
populations (reducing their vulnerability to shocks) and re-establish migratory routes that may have
been disrupted by a lack of coordinated management between countries. TFCAs are also said to
improve the livelihoods of communities whose traditional lands have been divided by international
boundaries, particularly through the facilitation of the resumption and/or legalisation of cross border
movements (in order, partly, to support cultural ties and traditions). Finally, cross border
cooperation is thought to increase the efficiency of monitoring and managing natural resources,
reduce and/or eliminate duplication of efforts, and create economies of scale, as well as enhance

3
economic opportunities (e.g. through increased tourism potential and revenues) as the economic
basis for TFCAs (Singh, 1999; DN-Consult, 2004).
In southern Africa, 22 sites have been identified as having the potential to become a transfrontier
park2
or TFCA (Hall-Martin and Modise, 2002). These initiatives are being given increasing
support from a wide range of stakeholders including local and national governments, NGOs and
donor agencies, and have been endorsed by both the New Partnership for African Development and
the Southern African Development Community, as instruments that can contribute to local
economic development, regional integration and cooperation, and poverty alleviation through
biodiversity conservation activities (SADC, 1999; NEPAD, 2001). Indeed, all of the international
agreements relating to transfrontier parks and TFCAs so far in southern Africa refer specifically to
tourism (implying nature-based tourism rather than stating it specifically) as a means to achieve
economic development and poverty alleviation objectives, as can be seen from the following
statements3
drawn from official agreements regarding transfrontier parks and TFCAs:
‘… to encourage the potential of the Parks and surrounding areas which will
bring economic benefits to the Republic of Botswana and the Republic of
South Africa, especially to the local communities adjacent to the Park …’4
‘… to develop an integrated community-based conservation and
development programme … to facilitate a sustainable (including
environmental, social and economic sustainability) nature conservation
development and ecotourism investment programme based on the natural,
social and cultural resources of the area … to facilitate cooperation between
Lesotho and South Africa on sustainable development …’5
‘… to facilitate the establishment and maintenance of a sustainable
sub-regional economic base through appropriate development frameworks,
strategies and workplans … to develop trans-border eco-tourism as a means
of fostering regional socio-economic development …’6
It can be seen that these strategies are extremely broad, and heavily dependent on increasing the
size of the local tourism industry as the means of improving local economic development, and
unfortunately these objectives are rarely supported by any detailed means to achieve them. Further,
the empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that tourism will contribute significantly to
economic development and poverty alleviation within TFCAs is not yet available. The purpose of
this paper is to provide a baseline of the tourism industry in the proposed Kavango-Zambezi
Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), as part of a long-run monitoring programme to
determine the economic impacts of transfrontier conservation areas. KAZA is one of two study sites
– the other being the proposed Greater !Gariep TFCA shared between Namibia and South Africa.
The KAZA initiative involves five countries – Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe
– and has a long history, beginning in the early 1990s, but receiving recent impetus to move the
process forward.
2
A transfrontier park typically only includes state protected areas, thus differing from TFCAs which can include a
variety of conservation and multiple use areas under different land tenures – including state protected areas,
game and wildlife management areas, forest reserves, community and private conservation areas, etc.
3
To date, all of the transfrontier park/conservation area treaties signed in southern Africa have involved South
Africa as one of the partner countries.
4
Government of the Republic of Botswana/Government of the Republic of South Africa, 1999.
5
Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho/ Government of the Republic of South Africa, 2001.
6
Government of the Republic of Mozambique/ Government of the Republic of South Africa/ Government of the
Republic of Zimbabwe, 2002; Government of the Republic of Namibia/ Government of the Republic of South
Africa, 2003.

4
1.1 The proposed Kavango–Zambezi TFCA
The concept of a Southern African Wildlife Sanctuary was presented at a Regional Workshop on
Water Resource Management as long ago as 1993. The idea was then taken up by the Development
Bank of Southern Africa as part of their Spatial Development Initiatives, in partnership with the
Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa, who transformed it into the Okavango Upper
Zambezi International Tourism Initiative (OUZIT), publishing a preliminary project scan in 1999.
The OUZIT initiative was conceived as an opportunity for the five countries to take advantage of
the regions’ network of protected areas, wildlife and natural resources and cultural heritage to
become one of the premier eco-, cultural and adventure tourism destinations in the world. It was
also seen as a useful vehicle to facilitate infrastructure development and rural investment in the
region. The initiative was based almost entirely on tourism growth and development, integrating
conservation activities in order to protect the sources and wetlands of water systems falling within
the region – primarily the Okavango, Zambezi and the Kwando/Linyanti/Chobe systems (DN-
Consult, 1999). These initiatives both focussed on the ‘four corners’ region (the point at which
Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet, around Impalila Island in Namibia), and included
Angola because of its importance as the source of most of the regions’ rivers.
The OUZIT concept was then linked with similar initiatives on both the Indian and Atlantic coasts
to form the expanded OUZIT, which was agreed to in 2001 by the Southern African Development
Community tourism ministers. A number of transboundary natural resource management
programmes were undertaken in this time, though the agreement by tourism ministers in 2001 did
not give the expanded OUZIT the jump-start they had hoped for, in terms of planning and
implementation of activities. After several years of limited activity relating to OUZIT, the five
original governments undertook to move forward, and in July 2003 their tourism ministers held a
meeting where they agreed to ‘revitalise’ the idea, and ‘seize the golden opportunity to take
complete ownership … to sharpen its focus so that it can complement the socio-economic
development efforts of … respective countries’ (Hon. S Nujoma, President of Namibia, 2003).
President Nujoma also called upon the countries represented at the meeting to ‘promote cooperation
in order to strengthen the management strategies of natural resources to enhance economic
development of countries.’ (2003).
At that meeting, the Ministers clarified the purpose of the TFCA as seeking to ‘establish a world-
class transfrontier conservation area and tourism destination in the Okavango and Zambezi river
basin regions of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe within the context of
sustainable development’. Seven key elements were outlined as crucial to the success of the
KAZA TFCA:
1. securing and improving the management of the natural resource base;
2. collaborative management planning toward harmonised land use, including a joint inventory of
resources, monitoring and research;
3. adjustment of policy and legal frameworks as required;
4. active support for sustainable tourism development, i.e. ecologically and socio-economically
sustainable tourism;
5. creating a framework for public and private sector investment and community participation in
tourism and other economic activities based on the natural resources of the area;
6. establishing institutional mechanisms to coordinate and facilitate the implementation of the
initiative by the five countries;
7. a programme to identify and mobilise resources (financial support and human resources) to
achieve the overall objective of the initiative (Anon., n.d.).

5
The basis for future tourism developments are the many natural assets – encompassing terrestrial
wildlife populations of international importance (including the largest contiguous population of
elephants on the continent (Hanks, 2005)), the Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, the Zambezi,
Chobe–Linyanti, Kwando and Cuito river systems, considerable cultural diversity, many historical
attractions, as well as high potential for developing and diversifying adventure- and water-based
tourism activities. A lengthy description of the tourism attractions and the biodiversity value of the
region will not be provided in this report as they are both comprehensively covered elsewhere (see
Perkins, 2005; Hanks, 2005; DN-Consult, 2004; Hall-Martin and Modise, 2002; DHV Consultants,
1999). Though the proposed area of the TFCA is not finalised, it is likely to include, in Botswana,
the Okavango Delta, the Chobe system; in Zambia, Kafue, Sioma Ngwezi and Mosi-oa-Tunya
National Parks, the West Zambezi game management area; in Zimbabwe Hwange, Zambezi,
Victoria Falls and Kazuma Pan National Parks; in Angola, the Luiana Partial Reserve, the Mukosso,
Luenge, Luiana and Longa-Mavinga Coutadas; in Namibia, the Caprivi Game Reserve, Mudumu
and Mamili National Parks, the Caprivi State Forest, community conservancies; and other land to be
determined by the migratory movement of wildlife (see Map 1) (Anon., n.d.).
Recognising the perceived importance of tourism to the economic development objectives of TFCA
implementation, this study has focussed on determining the current level of tourism characteristic
products7
provided from within the region – including accommodation providers (including their
additional services such as restaurants and bars, tours, etc.) and tour operators acting independently
from hotels/lodges in the region. The methodology of the surveys, and their subsequent analysis
used in this study is outlined in the next section, followed by the presentation of the survey results.
Implications and impacts of these results are discussed in Section 4, followed by the conclusions
drawn.
2. METHODOLOGY
Due to the absence of recently available (and reliable) information regarding the tourism industry
for the KAZA region, this research was designed to determine the level of characteristic tourism
products provided within the region for the calendar year of 2004. The range of establishments
surveyed included both accommodation providers (covering aspects of their additional services
including restaurants and bars, tours, etc.) and independent tour operators in the region. Other usual
tourism characteristic products were not considered, as very few are provided by operators within
the region, and thus much of their economic impact would be felt either at national level rather than
within the KAZA region specifically, or would leak out of southern Africa altogether.
The questionnaires (see Appendices 1 and 2) were developed based on an earlier questionnaire used
in a similar project in the proposed Greater !Gariep TFCA region. Several aspects were covered in
the survey – the type of business (e.g. capacity, origin of guests, type of ownership, owner residence
and ethnicity), the financial aspects of the business, and employment in the industry. A section of
the survey was designed to determine the initial knowledge and impressions of industry participants
regarding the KAZA TFCA and the opportunities it may offer.
An inventory of all accommodation establishments and tour operators was compiled for each region
of the study area (see Appendix 3). Sources for this inventory included national tourism bureaux,
tourist information centres, business directories and guidebooks. These inventories were extensively
updated to remove defunct businesses, include newly opened operations and combine businesses
(especially tour operations) operating under multiple names. Using this inventory, the survey team
intended to survey each establishment that was operational during the 2004 calendar year.
7
Tourism characteristic products as defined by the UN et al., are ‘those products which in most countries would
cease to exist in meaningful quantities, or those for which the level of consumption would be significantly
reduced in the absence of visitors’ (2000:35).

TourismintheKavango–ZambeziTransfrontierConservationArea
6
Map1TheproposedKavango–ZambeziTFCAregion
Source:WWF;MET,Namibia;RAISON,Namibia;OpenAfrica,SouthAfrica;ConInfo,Namibia.

7
Unsurprisingly, a 100 per cent response rate was not achieved. A number of enterprises were
unwilling to participate in the survey, a small number of businesses had ceased operations by the time
the survey was carried out, and in several instances, interviewees were unable to provide much of the
information requested. In Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), a combination of logistical and political issues
meant that small operators in the town were not surveyed. Finally, the time constraints of the survey
team meant that only a sample of just over 30 per cent of the (much larger than expected) guest house
sector in Livingstone (Zambia) as surveyed. The Okavango Delta is not included in this analysis, as
data collection and analysis was undertaken by a student at the University of KwaZulu Natal, and was
not available for inclusion in this report at its time of writing.
Table 1 outlines the surveyed enterprises against the total open in 2004 for each region within KAZA,
and from it can be seen the high level of response rates (excluding Victoria Falls). It is believed that
these results provide a good representation of the tourism industry within the KAZA region.
Table 1 Sample and population size of establishments open in 2004 surveyed, by region, 2004
Accommodation Tour Operators
Area Surveyed Total Surveyed Total
Botswana – Kasane, Kazungula, Leshoma,
Pandamatenga, Ngoma 19 19 10 14
Zimbabwe – Victoria Falls 9 37 0 37
Zambia – Livingstone 37 71 16 18
Zambia – Upper Zambezi (to Senanga) 13 21 0 0
Namibia – Caprivi Region 24 30 0 0
Total 102 178 26 69
128 surveys were completed for businesses open in 2004, 13 surveys were completed for businesses
that opened only in 2005. Thus, a total of 141 surveys were completed. In these 13 cases of
businesses open only in 2005, the only information included in the analysis presented below is that
relating to the knowledge and impressions of the KAZA TFCA of the survey respondent. Virtually all
questionnaires (139 of 141) were administered using personal interviews with hotel or tour operation
owners, managers, or accountants, between July and September, 2005. In two cases, questionnaires
were left with respondents and completed in the absence of the survey enumerator. The
confidentiality of responses was guaranteed and data has been reported only in aggregate form. In any
instance where the reporting of specific data would enable the identification of an individual
enterprise, this data is not reported (though it is, of course, included in the analysis).
Data were entered by hand using Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel. Calculations and regressions
were performed in Statistica and Microsoft Excel.
Non-financial data, including data on employment and visitation was almost universally reported.
Responses regarding sensitive financial information were most likely to be non-reported (e.g.
bednights sold, total turnover, wage bill, taxes, rates and operating costs). Where necessary, missing
data was imputed from reported data using regression analysis. After missing data was imputed,
summary statistics were calculated in the form of sums, weighted averages, or percentages of a total.
Respondents reported financial figures in either local currency or US dollars. All figures were
converted to US dollars using the average inter-bank rate for buying US dollars for the 2004 calendar
year.

8
Table 2 Exchange rates for the period 1 January to 31 December, 2004
Currency converted $US conversion
rate
1 Botswana Pula (BWP) 0.21404
1 Namibia Dollar (NAD) 0.15837
1 South African Rand (ZAR) 0.15621
1 Zambian Kwacha (ZMK) 0.00021
1 Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWD) 0.00036
Source: www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory
Conversions of Zimbabwean dollars to and from US dollars was especially problematic given the
unstable nature of that currency over the study period, combined with the vast differences between
the official and unofficial exchange rates which introduced an unavoidable source of imprecision to
Zimbabwean financial results.
The only instance where results were not analysed uniformly was in the guest house sector in
Livingstone, Zambia. Of the 60 establishments classified by the Zambia National Tourism Board
(ZNTB) as guesthouses, 19 were surveyed (32 per cent). Results from those surveyed were
extrapolated across the whole sector, based on the assumption that the non-surveyed guesthouses had
the same mean and distribution of rooms, employees, turnover, and other statistics, as the surveyed
guesthouses. There is a possibility that variance in the total pool of 60 guesthouses was not accurately
captured by the sample of 19 guesthouses, but it is believed that the sector is sufficiently homogenous
to make this variance minimal.
This study focuses only on direct impacts, that is the economic activity generated directly by the
activities of tourists. Indirect and induced effects are expected to be relatively small in the region,
which is characterised by a relatively non-diverse economy. Indirect impacts include production,
employment and income changes occurring in other businesses/industries locally that supply inputs to
the accommodation and tour operators, in this case. Induced impacts are the effects of household
spending in the local economy as a result of the direct and indirect effects of the tourism industry.
The rationale for focussing initially on direct impacts is that a large range of required goods and
services are not available locally, and many of those goods and services that can be purchased locally
are only available because they have been imported into the region, rather than supplied or produced
within it.
Several measures are used to quantify economic impact, focussing on employment, business output,
aggregate wages and salaries, as well as the relative contribution of each of these locally. In the
future, it would be desirable to determine value added, though it requires the collection of reliable and
detailed data, which is often difficult in practice. While value added is often said to be an appropriate
measure of impact on economic activity in a particular area, wages and salaries paid are often
preferred as a more conservative measure of the income benefit to residents of an area.
Gross business output (revenue) is a broad measure of economic activity, though unfortunately it does
not distinguish between high and low value added activities. In order to overcome some of the
problems associated with this measure of economic activity, an attempt was made in this study to
determine how much of business output remained locally (i.e. within the KAZA region), in terms of
local wages and salaries paid as well as non-wage operating expenditures made within the region.
Estimates of profits retained within the KAZA region are also made in order to determine potential
levels of re-investment in the region, as well as further rounds of expenditure resulting from tourism
activity. However, this measure does not consider the potential lack of alternative opportunities for
some operators. Nor does it consider the possibility that some enterprise owners are likely to make
lifestyle choices rather than profit maximising ones. These estimates are also based on the assumption
that local owners retain profit within the region, while non-local/foreign owners remit any profits

9
earned to their country of origin. This assumption should be more closely examined in future to
determine whether local profits are in fact retained and/or re-invested locally; and the extent to which
non-local foreign enterprises contribute to local re-investment and/or leakages from the KAZA
region.
Estimated tax revenues to central governments are also presented, in recognition that many benefits
from the tourism industry impact at a national level, rather than solely at a local level. A cautionary
note regarding these estimates must be made – the survey did not disaggregate by type of tax, and
therefore some taxes (for instance payroll tax and import duties) are likely to be underestimated.
It is anticipated that this survey will be the first of several implemented over the medium to long
term, and is designed with subsequent studies in mind. The survey tool has anticipated the
development of ‘new’ types of tourism business ownership – notably community owned and joint
venture/partnership agreements – that would be expected to increase in number in the coming years if
the principles of sustainable tourism are implemented and increased local participation occurs within
the KAZA region. By implementing the same (or a similar) survey tool in the same region in several
years, it will be possible to observe changes in the industry over time. In order to determine the direct
impacts of the KAZA TFCA, several questions will need to be added to the existing questionnaires,
relating to whether any new tourism investments have been made, and whether they were made partly
or wholly on the basis of the existence of the TFCA initiative. In addition, the subsequent analysis
should also include comparisons of rates of growth in the tourism industry outside of the KAZA
region, as the relative rates of growth (stagnation or decline) will also give an indication of the
success (or otherwise) of the KAZA initiative in stimulating regional growth in the tourism industry.
It is difficult to say when the next survey should be implemented, as the KAZA TFCA is at such an
early stage of planning and implementation – perhaps two or three years after the signing of the
Memorandum of Agreement or Treaty, or when a critical mass of activities are being implemented,
and allowing enough time for investment in the industry to have taken place.
3. RESULTS
8
3.1 Accommodation, northern Botswana
20 establishments in the area were surveyed. The statistics presented in Sections 3.1.1 to 3.1.6 cover
only the 19 establishments which were operating in 2004 or earlier. The results from the business that
opened in 2005 are included only in Section 3.1.7.
3.1.1 Profile of establishments
42 per cent of establishments had less than 20 beds, 37 per cent had between 21 and 40 beds, five per
cent had between 41 and 100 beds and 16 per cent (three establishments) had in excess of 100 beds.
Seven establishments offered camping in addition to room accommodation; no establishments offered
only camping. Rates for accommodation ranged between Botswana Pula (BWP) 7 ($US1.50) and
BWP2,270 ($US485) per night.
Table 3 Capacity per night of northern Botswana establishments, 2004
n=19 Total Average Median Minimum Maximum
Number of rooms 451 24 11 3 111
Number of beds 877 46 24 6 194
Camping capacity 574 30 0 0 160
Annual (bednight) capacity 529,615 27,874 14,600 2,190 111,690
The average length of stay per establishment was 2.8 nights, with a wide range (1–30 nights).
Year-round bednight occupancy was approximately 34 per cent, ranging from less than 15 per cent to
in excess of 70 per cent.
8
Please note that not all proportions in the following tables add exactly to 100 per cent, due to rounding.

10
Table 4 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Private 16 84 78 86 74 59
Corporate 3 16 22 14 26 41
Table 5 Share of accommodation sector by owners residence and ethnicity, northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 No. of
establishments
% of
total
Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Owner’s residence
Local 10 53 43 50 33 30
KAZA 2 11 26 27 28 20
Foreign 3 16 7 7 9 7
Other 1 5 2 2 4 3
Corporate 3 16 22 14 26 41
Owner’s ethnicity
Black 6 32 17 15 5 9
White 7 37 37 46 36 24
Black/white partnership 3 16 24 25 33 25
Corporate 3 16 22 14 26 41
The three corporate hotels have headquarters in Kasane, Gaborone, and the United States.
Over half of the establishments are locally owned, however locally owned establishments receive just
over one third of regional turnover despite selling half of all bednights in the region. In contrast,
corporate hotels comprise less than one sixth of all establishments, yet receive a quarter of regional
turnover. Although black-owned establishments comprise nearly one third of all enterprises, they
receive only five per cent of regional turnover.
3.1.2 Profile of guests
It is estimated that a total of 64,400 overnight guests9
visited northern Botswana in 2004. A
breakdown of these guests’ origin, type and method of booking follows in the tables below.
Table 6 Origin of guests, northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 Domestic KAZA Foreign Total
Average (%) 19 12 69 100
No. of visitors 12,236 7,728 44,436 64,400
Table 7 Guests by category, northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 Self drive/
Independent
Fly-in/
package
Overland Organised
group
Non-tourist
guest
Total
Average (%) 36 34 13 3 14 100
No. of visitors 23,184 21,896 8,372 1,932 9,016 64,400
Table 8 Method of booking accommodation, northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 Walk in Direct
booking
Local
hotels/
operators
KAZA
hotels/
operators
Foreign
hotels/
operators
Total
Average (%) 24 8 7 6 55 100
No. of visitors 15,456 5,152 4,508 3,864 35,420 64,400
9
This does not equate to total tourist numbers, as some guests may have stayed at more than one accommodation
establishment during their trip.

11
3.1.3 Time trends
Figure 1 Opening date of northern Botswana Establishments (n=20)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
n.d. <1964 1965-
1969
1970-
1974
1975-
1979
1980-
1984
1985-
1989
1990-
1994
1995-
1999
2000-
2004
2005
Opening
No.ofestablishments
Approximately 60 per cent of enterprises in the region began operations in 2000 or later; one new
establishment opened in 2005, increasing the annual capacity by 20 beds and 50 camping places per
night (annual capacity of 25,500).
52 per cent of respondents believed that tourism had increased over the three previous years (i.e.
2002–2004), 11 per cent believed that it had decreased over this period, while the remaining 32 per
cent believed it had not changed, or did not know.
In terms of changes in tourism visitation patterns over the life of the operation, the majority of
respondents reported that fewer travellers were now travelling to Zimbabwe, but were going to
Zambia and Namibia instead. Enterprise owners had mixed views on whether the number of tourists
visiting the region had increased – some believed that they had declined due to the political situation
in Zimbabwe, while others thought that developments in Zambia, particularly the opening of the Sun
International hotel in Livingstone was attracting more visitors. A change toward business/conference
travel was also noted.
3.1.4 Finances
Table 9 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 Regional Total
(BWP)
Enterprise
average (BWP)
Enterprise
median (BWP)
Regional Total
($US)
Revenue
Total 107,025 5,633 1,900 22,908
Accommodation 72,710 3,827 1,500 15,563
Bar and restaurant 27,439 1,444 0 5,873
Tours 6,876 362 0 1,472
Operating expenditures
Total wages and salaries 14,305 753 384 3,062
Non-wage operating costs 52,904 2,784 798 11,324
Taxes 8,788 463 185 1,881
180,220 bednights were sold in northern Botswana in 2004. Each establishment sold on average
9,486 bednights, with a median of 5,082 bednights sold per annum.

12
3.1.5 Employment
The employees to beds ratio for the region was 0.80 (median:0.61; range:0.22–2). The employees to
capacity ratio for the region (capacity includes both beds and campsites) was 0.48 (median: 0.47;
range:0.5–1.73).
Table 10 Employment in accommodation establishments, northern Botswana, 2004
Total employment 698 37 20 2 132
Local male 310 16 9 0 66
Local female 340 18 10 1 60
Non-local national 2 0 0 0 2
KAZA national 15 1 0 0 7
Expatriate 31 2 2 0 5
Northern Botswana establishments spent an estimated BWP14.3 million ($US3.06 million) on wages
and salaries in 2004, or 13 per cent of total turnover. This was paid to 698 employees, only one of
whom was in part-time employment.
3.1.6 Local impacts
Table 11 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), northern Botswana, 2004
n=19 Total (BWP) Total ($US)
Local wages 10,998 2,354
Local expenditure 32,032 6,856
Profit retained locally 13,949 2,986
In 2004, the 19 enterprises surveyed employed 93 per cent of their staff locally (648 local
employees), who earned approximately 77 per cent of the total salary bill.
Non-wage operating expenditures made locally varied by owner residence and ethnicity. Corporate
hotels reported spending 30 per cent of their operating costs locally, compared to 63 per cent for
foreign-owned establishments, 78 per cent for KAZA-owned establishments, and 74 per cent for
locally owned establishments. Black owned establishments reported spending 63 per cent of their
operating costs locally, compared to 75 per cent for white owned establishments and 63 per cent for
black–white partnerships. The average rate for the region was 61 per cent.
14 hotels reported making voluntary financial contributions to the local communities in 2004. These
included gifts to schools, orphanages, day care centres, camps, HIV/AIDS groups, the police, local
government, a wildlife trust and sports clubs. Five hotels reported making in kind donations to local
communities. These included reduced room rates for civic organizations, sponsorship of a wildlife
camp for school children, donation of construction labour, and donation of books to a local school.
3.1.7 Knowledge of the proposed KAZA TFCA
Of all establishments surveyed (n=20), 13 (65 per cent) had some knowledge of the proposed KAZA
TFCA. Seven respondents (35 per cent) had not heard of the initiative. The responses below are based
only on those respondents who reported prior knowledge of the KAZA TFCA.
Table 12 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005
Source Official
channels
Media Word of
mouth
Don’t know Total
No. 7 0 6 0 13
% 54 0 46 0 100

13
Table 13 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005
Effect on business Positive Negative Mixed Don’t know Total
No. 7 2 2 2 13
% 54 15 15 15 100
Table 14 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, northern Botswana, 2005
Undertake
the activity
Coordinate
with operations
in KAZA
countries
Joint
marketing
operations
Invest in
operations in
KAZA
countries
No change Total
No. that would 6 3 2 3 14*
% 43 21 14 21 100
* Respondents had the choice of selecting more than one option
Table 15 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, northern Botswana, 2005
Effect on park
resource quality
Positive Negative Mixed Don’t know Total
No. 5 1 3 4 13
% 38 8 23 31 100
Those respondents who believed that KAZA would have a positive effect on the region stated the
following reasons: greater accessibility from new airstrips and roads, opening of the Kazangula
bridge [between Botswana and Zambia], improved regional marketing, harmonised land uses,
reducing elephant overcrowding by opening wildlife corridors/increasing wildlife areas, improved
product on offer for tourists (e.g. cultural tours in Namibia), and the development of a southern Africa
visa area. The only negative effect anticipated was an increase in tourism in Namibia contributing to
overcrowding of the Chobe River.
In terms of the potential impact of KAZA on tourism visitation patterns, a number of respondents
stated that they believed visitation was dictated more by airline routes or weather/climate, so the
TFCA would not impact much. In contrast, other respondents believed that the average stay in the
area would not increase, but may lead to ‘Botswana tourists’ going to Namibia instead.
Other potential impacts of the KAZA TFCA were stated to be: that countries would have to meet
certain product standards, that agreements regarding resource use would improve the quality of parks,
that the bond between countries would improve, the initiative could create good public relations for
the region, that it should be beneficial for the animals, that it could allow communities to be more
involved in wildlife resource benefits and assist in planning. Two respondents stated that the TFCA
would be likely to have a negative effect on park resources, as the increase in infrastructure (roads)
and the increase in tourist numbers would have negative environmental impacts.
3.2 Accommodation, Livingstone, Zambia
As of July, 2005, there were 83 lodging establishments in Livingstone, including guesthouses, hotels,
lodges, backpackers, and campsites. Of these, 19 of the 60 enterprises classified as guesthouses by the
ZNTB were surveyed for this report, and all 23 establishments classified by ZNTB as something
other than a guesthouse were surveyed. All figures in this section are based on an extrapolation of
surveyed guesthouses to all guesthouses; for more detail on this process see Section 2. Of the 42
establishments surveyed, 37 opened in 2004 or earlier. The results from businesses which opened in
2005 are included only in Section 3.2.7.

14
In 2004, the Livingstone enterprises offered a total of 2,351 beds per night, and camping capacity for
587 guests, which equal to an annual bed capacity for the region of 1,072,370.
Guesthouses
81 per cent of guesthouses had less than 20 beds while the remaining 19 per cent offered 21–30 beds.
The largest guesthouse offered 26 beds. Two establishments offered camping in addition to room
accommodation; no establishments offered only camping. Rates for accommodation varied between
about ZMK50,000 ($US11) and ZMK225,000 ($US47).
Table 16 Capacity per night of Livingstone guesthouses, 2004
n=50 Estimated
total for all
guesthouses
Average Median Minimum Maximum
The average length of stay per establishment was 2.47 nights, ranging between one and 14 nights per
stay. The overall bednight occupancy rate for establishments in the region was 22 per cent, ranging
between just over two per cent to a high of 75 per cent.
Non-guesthouses
Of the 21 non-guesthouse establishments that opened in 2004 or earlier, 43 per cent offered 20 or
fewer beds, 14 per cent had 21–40 beds, 24 per cent had between 41–100 beds and 19 per cent of
establishments had 101 or more beds. Eight establishments offered camping in addition to room
accommodation; one establishment offered camping only. Rates in the non-guesthouse sector ranged
from ZMK19,050 ($US4) to ZMK950,000 ($US200).
Table 17 Capacity of Livingstone non-guesthouses, 2004
Number of beds 1,706 81 26 0 770
Annual capacity 786,940 37,477 21,170 2,920 281,050
The average length of stay per enterprise was 2.74 nights, ranging between one and 15 nights per
stay. Year-round average bednight occupancy for non-guesthouses was estimated to be 31 per cent,
with a maximum of 54 per cent.
Table 18 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Livingstone, 2004
n=71 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Private 69 97 73 51 25 51
Corporate 1 1 26 47 75 48
Other 1 1 1 2 0 1

15
Table 19 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Livingstone, 2004
n=71 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Owner’s residence
Local 37 52 34 21 6 20
KAZA 21 30 15 12 10 14
Foreign 8 11 14 12 5 8
Other 4 6 12 9 4 10
Corporate 1 1 26 47 74 48
Owner’s ethnicity
Black 49 69 29 20 6 21
White 12 17 34 24 16 19
Other 5 7 9 8 3 11
Corporate 1 1 26 47 75 48
The corporate hotel has headquarters in Johannesburg.
Corporate dominance of the non-guesthouse sector is highly evident in Livingstone – over half of
regional accommodation establishments are locally owned, however locally owned establishments
receive less than one tenth of regional turnover. Although black-owned establishments comprise over
two thirds of all accommodations, they generate less than ten per cent of regional turnover.
It is estimated that a total of 114,830 overnight guests visited Livingstone establishments in 2004.
Approximately 26,000 of these guests stayed at guesthouses, and a further 88,830 stayed at hotels,
lodges, etc. A breakdown of these guests’ type, origin, and method of booking follows in the tables
below.
Table 20 Origin of guests, Livingstone, 2004
Guesthouse
Average (%) 66 19 15 100
No. of visitors 17,160 4,940 3,900 26,000
Non-guesthouse
Average (%) 22 4 74 100
No. of visitors 19,543 3,553 65,734 88,830
Total
Average (%) 34 8 58 100
No. of visitors 39,042 9,186 66,601 114,830
Table 21 Guests by category, Livingstone, 2004
n=71 Self drive/
Independent
Fly-in/
package
Overland Organised
group
Non-tourist
guest
Total
Guesthouse
Average (%) 20 2 0 25 53 100
No. of visitors 5,200 520 0 6,500 13,780 26,000
Non-guesthouse
Average (%) 28 38 7 13 14 100
No. of visitors 24,873 33,755 6,218 11,547 12,437 88,830
Total
Average (%) 26 28 6 16 24 100
No. of visitors 29,856 32,152 6,890 18,373 27,559 114,830

16
Table 22 Method of booking accommodation, Livingstone, 2004
n=71 Walk in Direct
booking
Local
hotels/
operators
KAZA
hotels/
operators
Foreign
hotels/
operators
Total
Guesthouse
Average (%) 63 36 1 0 0 100
No. of visitors 16,380 9,360 260 0 0 26,000
Non-guesthouse
Average (%) 18 25 11 10 36 100
No. of visitors 15,989 22,208 9,771 8,883 31,979 88,830
Total
Average (%) 31 28 8 8 25 100
No. of visitors 35,597 32,152 9,186 9,186 28,708 114,830
3.2.3 Time trends
Figure 2 Opening date of Livingstone establishments (n=42)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
<1964 1965-
1969
1970-
1974
1975-
1979
1980-
1984
1985-
1989
1990-
1994
1995-
1999
2000-
2004
2005
Opening
No.ofestablishments
It can be noted that nearly all of the surveyed establishments (98 per cent) opened in 1990 or later. At
least 11 enterprises opened in the first half of 2005, with 39 rooms (70 beds) and camping for eight
people per night, thus adding a further 28,470 bednights to annual capacity.
65 per cent of respondents believed that tourism had increased to their establishments since 2002;
only three per cent believed that tourism had decreased for them; the remaining 32 per cent did not
respond. In terms of changes in tourism visitation patterns, virtually all respondents reported that
there were more international tourists in recent years – both fly-in tourists as well as backpackers.
3.2.4 Finances
Table 23 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Livingstone guest houses, 2004
n=50 Regional Total
(ZMK)
Enterprise
average (ZMK)
Enterprise
median (ZMK)
Regional
Total ($US)
Revenue
Total 4,851,948 97,039 96,478 1,019
Accommodation 3,969,180 79,384 78,462 834
Bar and restaurant 882,768 17,655 18,016 185
Tours - - - -
Operating expenditure
Total wages and salaries 1,126,827 22,537 21,814 237
Non-wage operating costs 1,741,654 34,833 33,543 366
Taxes 133,120 2,662 2,647 29

17
Table 24 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Livingstone non-guest houses, 2004
n=21 Regional Total
(ZMK)
Enterprise
average (ZMK)
Enterprise
median (ZMK)
Regional
Total ($US)
Revenue
Total 115,281,449 5,489,593 510,161 24,208
Accommodation 67,958,619 3,236,125 412,334 14,270
Bar and restaurant 38,787,955 1,847,045 96,000 8,145
Tours 7,503,220 357,296 0 1,576
Other 1,031,656 49,126 0 217
Total wages and salaries 28,991,473 1,380,546 130,842 6,088
Non-wage operating costs 53,732,068 2,558,670 289,454 11,284
Taxes 5,831,360 277,684 25,000 1,225
An estimated 307,600 bednights were sold in Livingstone in 2004. The guesthouses sold 64,200
bednights, corresponding to an average of 1,284 (median: 1,176). The non-guesthouses sold 243,400
bednights, corresponding to an average of 11,590 bednights per enterprise (median: 3,600).
Table 25 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Livingstone all establishments, 2004
n=71 Regional Total
(ZMK)
Regional
Total ($US)
Revenue
Total 120,133,397 25,227
Accommodation 71,927,799 15,104
Bar and restaurant 39,670,723 8,330
Tours 7,503,220 1,576
Other 1,031,656 217
Total wages and salaries 30,118,300 6,325
Non-wage operating costs 55,473,722 11,650
Taxes 5,964,480 1,254
3.2.5 Employment
The employees to beds ratio for guesthouse was 0.71 (median: 0.57; range: 0.27–1.5). The employees
to capacity ratio for guesthouses (capacity includes both beds and campsites) was 0.67 (median: 0.52;
range: 0.23–1.5). For the non-guesthouses, the average number of employees per bed was 1.01
(median: 0.86; range: 0.26–2). If campsites are included, the ratio decreased to 0.77 (median: 0.65;
range: 0.18–2).
Table 26 Employment in Livingstone guest houses, 2004
Local male 124 2 2 1 5
KAZA national - - - - -
Table 27 Employment in Livingstone non-guest houses, 2004
Total employment 1,792 85 31 9 1,034
Local male 985 38 21 2 341
Local female 745 28 10 0 341

18
Livingstone guesthouses spent an estimated ZMK1.13 billion ($US237,000) on wages and salaries,
which corresponds to 23 per cent of turnover and was paid to 352 employees. Of these employees,
only four (one per cent) were in part-time employment. ZMK29 billion ($US6,088,000), or 25 per
cent of turnover, was the amount spent on wages and salaries by the non-guesthouses, and it was paid
to a total of 1,792 employees. In this sector, 680 employees were in part-time employment. A total of
in excess of ZMK30 billion ($US6,325,000) was spent in the region on salaries and wages for all
2,144 workers.
3.2.6 Local impacts
Table 28 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Livingstone, 2004
n=71 Total (ZMK) Total ($US)
Local wages 14,342,974 2,795
Local expenditure 19,980,377 4,196
Profit retained locally 1,302,318 273
It is estimated that in 2004, the Livingstone establishments employed a total of 2,072 local workers
(97 per cent of total employment), although 684 of these were part time employees (equating to 1,730
full time equivalents). These local employees earned only 44 per cent of the total wage bill in
Livingstone.
Local spending variation based on owner residence and owner ethnicity appears small compared to
variation between guesthouses, non-guesthouses, and corporate hotels. Corporate hotels reported
spending 30 per cent of their operating costs locally, compared to between 75 and 77 per cent for
foreign-, KAZA- and locally-owned establishments. Across the region, only 36 per cent of non-wage
operating costs were made locally.
59 per cent of establishments reported making voluntary financial contributions to local communities
in 2004. These donations included gifts to schools, orphanages, hospitals, homes for the aged,
Independence day celebrations, churches, mortuaries, HIV/AIDS groups, football clubs, civic clubs,
the police, local government, community trusts. Only 19 enterprises indicated giving in kind support
to the local communities. These included donations of medical supplies for HIV patients, educational
supplies for students, hotel industry training for students and shelter and care for orphans.
Of 42 establishments surveyed, 16 (38 per cent) had knowledge of the proposed KAZA TFCA. 26
respondents (62 per cent) had not heard of the initiative. The responses below are based only on those
respondents who reported prior knowledge of the KAZA TFCA.
Table 29 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Livingstone, 2005
Source Official
channels
Media Word of
mouth
Don’t
know
Total
No. 2 2 11 1 16
% 13 13 69 6 100
Table 30 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Livingstone, 2005
Effect on
business
Positive Negative Mixed Don’t
know
Total
No. 12 0 2 2 16
% 75 0 13 13 100

19
Table 31 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Livingstone, 2005
Undertake
the activity
Coordinate
with
operations in
KAZA
countries
Joint
marketing
operations
Invest in
operations
in KAZA
countries
No change Other Total
No. that would 8 10 3 1 3 25*
% 32 40 12 4 12 100
Table 32 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Livingstone, 2005
Respondents mentioned the following aspects that would be responsible for KAZA bringing positive
impacts to the tourism industry: more tourists due to more wildlife, the number of tourists from
neighbouring countries would increase due to freer movement across borders (and perhaps the
introduction of a visa free zone), improved international cooperation, group marketing could
stimulate business for guesthouses (for whom marketing can be a problem), borders would be opened
to trade and regional competition leading to more affordable prices, Zambian standards would
increase to those of Botswana and Namibia, and finally increased tourism resulting in increased jobs
and other positive spill-over effects.
In terms of positive impacts on tourism visitation patterns, respondents stated that there would be
little change in tourism source markets, but that the whole market would increase in size, particularly
if visa regulations were eased. Present visitation patterns are not expected to change (i.e. which sites
visited) until game is visible in other areas. Increased awareness may possibly increase the length of
stay in the region.
In terms of positive effects on park quality, respondents stated that KAZA should improve the ability
of countries working together to deal with issues such as poaching, the initiative should increase the
resources available for park development and management and should enable restocking of wildlife
in areas where they’ve been wiped out. Shared knowledge of tourism management could improve.
In terms of possible negative consequences arising from the KAZA initiative, respondents raised the
following issues: the initiative will only work if there is international cooperation, immigration and
visa requirements are currently difficult and need to be addressed, a stable Zimbabwe is necessary to
make the initiative work, poaching needs to be controlled, and human–wildlife conflicts need to be
addressed. Several respondents stated that the initiative may increase stress on the environment if
developments are not carefully managed, and that bottlenecks in project implementation may occur
due to lengthy international-level negotiations.
3.3 Large hotels, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Although it is estimated that there are possible 37 accommodation establishments in Victoria Falls,
including campsites, lodges, guesthouses and hotels, unfortunately it was only possible to survey the
large hotels in the town. The results presented below are therefore for the nine large hotels in Victoria
Falls.
Effect on park
resource quality
No. 12 0 2 2 16
% 75 0 13 13 100

20
Of the nine hotels surveyed, only one establishment had less than 100 beds. Two establishments had
between 101 and 200 beds; two between 201 and 300, two between 301 and 400, and two had more
than 400 beds. None of these establishments offered camping. Rooms in these establishments were
priced between ZWD195,000 ($US70) and ZWD515,000 ($US185).
Table 33 Capacity per night of large hotels, Victoria Falls, 2004
Number of rooms 1,191 132 88 32 294
Number of beds 2,636 293 205 64 620
Camping capacity - - - - -
The average length of stay in the nine large hotels in Victoria Falls large hotels is estimated to be 2.01
nights, ranging between two and 2.4 nights. Average year-round bednight occupancy for all Victoria
Falls large hotels is estimated to be 20 per cent, with a maximum of 46 per cent.
Table 34 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Victoria Falls, 2004
n=9 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Private 4 44 27 23 21 30
Corporate 5 56 73 77 79 70
Table 35 Share of accommodation sector by owners residence and ethnicity, Victoria Falls, 2004
n=9 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Owner’s residence
Local 3 33 25 17 14 23
KAZA 1 11 2 5 7 6
Foreign - - - - - -
Corporate 5 56 73 77 79 70
Owner’s ethnicity
Black 1 11 5 5 1 1
White 3 33 22 18 21 29
Black/white partnership
- - - - - -
Corporate 5 56 73 77 79 70
The five corporate hotels have offices in Harare, though at least three are foreign owned. The small
sample size of establishments and the dominance of corporate hotels make it difficult to determine
whether there are any trends regarding the relative success of local or foreign owners in the industry
in Victoria Falls.
It is estimated that a total of 97,100 overnight guests visited large hotels in Victoria Falls 2004. A
breakdown of these guests’ type, origin, and method of booking follows in the tables below.
Table 36 Origin of guests, Victoria Falls, 2004
Average (%) 35 10 55 100
No. of visitors 33,985 9,710 53,405 97,100
Table 37 Guests by category, Victoria Falls, 2004
n=9 Self drive/
Independent
Fly-in/
package
Overland Organised
group
Non-tourist
guest
Total
Average (%) 10 58 4 4 24 100
No. of visitors 9,710 56,318 3,884 3,884 23,304 97,100

21
Table 38 Method of booking accommodation, Victoria Falls, 2004
n=9 Walk in Direct
booking
Local hotels/
operators
KAZA
hotels/
operators
Foreign
hotels/
operators
Total
Average (%) 3 19 20 6 52 100
No. of visitors 2,913 18,449 19,420 5,826 50,492 97,100
3.3.3 Time trends
Too little data is available to make estimates about the time trends for the Victoria Falls area, with
regards to changes in capacity and tourism visitation patterns. It can however be noted that six out of
the nine surveyed hotels started operating before 1990, while only one new large hotel
(re-)opened after 2000.
3.3.4 Finances
Table 39 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Victoria Falls, 2004
n=9 Regional Total
(ZWD)
Enterprise
average (ZWD)
Enterprise
median (ZWD)
Regional Total
($US)
Revenue
Total 85,616,725 9,512,969 6,039,000 30,822
Accommodation 51,354,422 5,706,047 3,294,000 18,488
Bar and restaurant 32,162,303 3,573,589 2,692,509 11,578
Tours - - - -
Other 2,100,000 233,333 0 756
Operating Expenditures
Total wages and salaries 17,160,586 1,906,732 1,010,000 6,178
Non-wage operating costs 37,174,948 4,130,550 3,638,892 13,383
Taxes 13,257,106 1,473,012 1,037,000 4,773
195,100 bednights were sold by Victoria Falls large hotels in 2004. Each establishment sold on
average 21,680 bednights (median: 14,500).
3.3.5 Employment
The employees to beds ratio for the large hotel sector was 0.48 (median: 0.43; range: 0.009–1.16).
Table 40 Employment in accommodation establishments, Victoria Falls, 2004
Total employment 1,151 128 74 13 280
Local male 909 101 65 4 265
Non-local national - - - - -
KAZA national - - - - -
Expatriate - - - - -
The surveyed enterprises spent an estimated ZWD17.2 billion ($US6,178,000) on wages and salaries
in 2004, or 20 per cent of total turnover. This was paid to 1,151 employees, all of whom were
reported to be employed locally, and all of whom were reported as filling full-time positions. Victoria
Falls is unusual in the KAZA region, as the survey respondents did not report employing any staff
from elsewhere in Zimbabwe or from abroad.
3.3.6 Local impacts
Table 41 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Victoria Falls, 2004
n=9 Total (ZWD) Total ($US)
Local wages 17,160,586 6,178
Profit retained locally 806,127 290

22
Though the sample size is too small to make valid distinctions between categories of ownership, large
hotels in Victoria Falls spent on average 43 per cent of their non-wage operating costs locally.
However, this varied greatly between enterprises, from as little as five per cent to 100 per cent.
Seven hotels reported making voluntary financial contributions to local communities in 2004. These
donations included gifts to schools, hospitals, old peoples’ homes, churches, civic societies, youth
centres, Christmas celebrations, police, tourism police, and the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit.
Several hotels cited additional charitable giving from corporate headquarters in Harare. Three hotels
reported giving in kind support to local communities, including raffles of food and accommodation
and donations of linen for a local community.
Of the nine establishments surveyed, three (33 per cent) had knowledge of the proposed KAZA
TFCA. Six respondents (67 per cent) had not heard of the initiative.
Table 42 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Victoria Falls, 2005
Source Official
channels
Media Word of
mouth
Don’t know Total
No. 1 2 0 0 3
% 33 67 0 0 100
Table 43 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Victoria Falls, 2005
Effect
on business
No. 3 0 0 0 3
% 100 0 0 0 100
Table 44 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Victoria Falls, 2005
Undertake
the activity
Coordinate
with operations
in KAZA
countries
Joint
marketing
operations
Invest in
operations in
KAZA
countries
No change Other Total
No. that would 2 2 0 0 0 4*
% 50 50 0 0 0 100
Table 45 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Victoria Falls, 2005
Effect on park
resource quality
No. 1 1 1 0 3
% 33 33 33 0 100
The few respondents aware of the initiative believed the TFCA would increase the number of tourists
and encourage tourist traffic within and between countries in the region, as well as increasing the area
available for wildlife, should improve policies and controls, and may increase the positive
contribution of particular sectors (e.g. trophy hunters). Respondents believed that the possible impacts
on park resources would not emerge for many years, and may be slightly contradictory – that is, the
initiative should be good for economies due to the increased tourism, but infrastructure development
would negatively impact on the environment and pollution would be expected to increase.
3.4 Accommodation, Upper Zambezi, Zambia
The total number of enterprises surveyed was 16 (of a possible 24, operating in 2005). Results are
presented for the 13 establishments operating in 2004. In section 3.4.7, regarding knowledge of the
proposed KAZA TFCA, results from all 16 enterprises are included.

23
All 13 enterprises offered accommodation in rooms: three had ten beds or less, six had between 11
and 20 beds, and the remaining four offered between 20 and 30 beds. Five enterprises (38 per cent)
also had camping facilities available for their guests. The cost of accommodation ranged from about
ZMK28,500 ($US6) to ZMK2,100,000 ($US441).
Table 46 Capacity of Upper Zambezi establishments, 2004
Guests’ stay ranged from one to six nights, with an average length of stay at each establishment of
2.76 nights. The average bednight occupancy rate for the region was 27 per cent, ranging between
nine and 58 per cent.
Table 47 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Upper Zambezi, 2004
n=13 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Private 12 92 94 86 86 87
Other 1 8 6 14 14 13
Table 48 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Upper Zambezi, 2004
n=13 No. of
establishments
% of
total
Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Owner’s residence
Local 6 46 41 42 39 49
KAZA 2 15 13 13 16 23
Foreign 3 23 32 28 30 13
Other 2 15 14 17 14 15
Corporate - - - - - -
Owner’s ethnicity
Black 4 31 30 32 34 30
White 6 46 49 44 43 39
Other 1 8 6 14 14 13
Corporate - - - - - -
The Upper Zambezi appears to be the only region where share of revenue is roughly proportionate to
share of ownership; in addition, black-owned enterprises in the Upper Zambezi also seem to be
relatively successful, generating more than one-third of total revenue in the region.
It is estimated that a total of 11,450 guests spent one or more nights at the surveyed Upper Zambezi
tourism establishments. Following are tables showing a breakdown of the guests’ origin, category and
method of booking.
Table 49 Origin of guests, Upper Zambezi, 2004
Average (%) 20 6 74 100
No. of visitors 2,290 687 8,473 11,450
Table 50 Guests by category, Upper Zambezi, 2004
n=13 Self drive/
Independent
Fly-in/
package
Overland Organised
group
Non-tourist
guest
Total
Average (%) 46 31 5 1 17 100
No. of visitors 5,267 3,550 572 115 1,946 11,450

24
Table 51 Method of booking, Upper Zambezi, 2004
n=13 Walk in Direct
booking
Local
hotels/
operators
KAZA
hotels/
operators
Foreign
hotels/
operators
Total
Average (%) 20 51 2 2 25 100
No. of visitors 2,290 5,840 229 229 2,863 11,450
3.4.3 Time trends
Figure 3 Opening date of Upper Zambezi establishments (n=16)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
<1964 1965-
1969
1970-
1974
1975-
1970
1980-
1984
1985-
1989
1990-
1994
1994-
1999
2000-
2004
2005
Opening
No.ofestablishments
At least three new establishments opened for trading in 2005, increasing the annual capacity of the
region by 30 beds and 40 camping places per night (total increase per annum of 25,550). Most of the
enterprises are relatively new, 15 (94 per cent) having started operating in 1990 or later.
89 per cent of survey respondents believed tourism to their businesses had increased over the
previous three years, the remaining 11 per cent believed that it had decreased over this period. Over
the same period, two establishments increased their capacity, by approximately 14 beds (in total).
Respondents indicated that growth in international tourist numbers was due to the increased
knowledge about Zambia as a tourist destination. It was also noted that because Zimbabwe is
perceived to be difficult to travel in, more tourists now visit Zambia instead. Interviewees also
mentioned that some tourists are increasing their length of stay, and travelling further within Zambia.

25
3.4.4 Finances
Table 52 Revenue and operating expenditures (’000s), Upper Zambezi, 2004
n=13 Regional Total
(ZMK)
Enterprise
average (ZMK)
Enterprise
median (ZMK)
Regional Total
($US)
Revenue
Total 25,890,581 1,991,583 1,061,580 5,437
Accommodation 22,820,920 1,755,455 883,514 4,792
Bar and restaurant 2,361,092 181,622 9,399 496
Tours - - - -
Other 708,569 54,505 0 149
Operating expenditures
Total wages and salaries 3,854,630 296,510 148,624 809
Non-wage operating costs 10,063,607 774,124 327,146 2,113
Taxes 42,723 3,286 1,941 9
In 2004, 31,600 bednights were sold in the region, with each establishment selling on average 2,431
bednights (median: 2,277).
3.4.5 Employment
The average number of employees per bed was 1.7 (median: 1.6; range: 0.6–3.7). If camping is
included, average employees per bed decreases to an average of 1.4 (median: 1.1; range: 0.3–3.7).
Table 53 Employment in accommodation establishments, Upper Zambezi, 2004
Local male 238 18 17 4 39
In 2004, the Upper Zambezi establishments spent an estimated ZMK3.9 billion ($US809,000) on
wages and salaries, which corresponds to 15 per cent of turnover. This amount was paid to 391
employees; only three of these workers were in part-time employment.
3.4.6 Local impacts
Table 54 Local financial impacts of accommodation establishments (’000s), Upper Zambezi, 2004
n=13 Total (ZMK) Total ($US)
Local wages 1,941,884 408
Profit retained locally 3,925,209 824
In 2004, total local employment by the 13 enterprises surveyed was 319 workers (82 per cent of the
total workforce), though three of these were part-time employees. These local employees earned only
50 per cent of the total reported wage and salary bill.
Non-wage operating expenditures made locally were particularly low for locally-owned
establishments, reaching only 36 per cent of non-wage operating costs. Foreign owned establishments
spent only just over 40 per cent locally, while KAZA owned operations spent in excess of two-thirds
of their non-wage operating costs locally. Black owned enterprises made only 20 per cent of
purchases locally, in contrast other enterprise owners, who spent a almost 70 per cent of non-wage
operating costs locally. On average, approximately 54 per cent of non-wage operating costs were
made locally.

26
Eight establishments reportedly made financial contributions to local communities, such as taking
guests on village tours (and paying the villages), supporting schools and collecting donations from
clients. In kind support was given by eight enterprises and included assisting with funeral costs of
staff and their families, and provision of food.
Of all establishments surveyed (n=16), 69 per cent (11 respondents) had knowledge of the proposed
KAZA TFCA. Five respondents (31 per cent) had not heard of the initiative.
Table 55 Source of knowledge of KAZA TFCA, Upper Zambezi, 2005
Source Official
channels
Media Word of
mouth
Don’t know Total
No. 0 3 4 4 11
% 0 28 36 36 100
Table 56 Expected effect on business by KAZA TFCA, Upper Zambezi, 2005
Effect on
business
No. 4 0 3 4 11
% 36 0 28 36 100
Table 57 Potential activities with KAZA TFCA, Upper Zambezi, 2005
Undertake
the activity
Coordinate with
operations in
KAZA countries
Joint
marketing
operations
Invest in
operations in
KAZA
countries
Other Total
No. that would 6 6 2 1 15*
% 40 40 13 7 100
Table 58 Expected effect of KAZA TFCA on park resource quality, Upper Zambezi, 2005
Effect on park
resource quality
No. 5 0 1 5 11
% 45 0 9 45 100
Statements regarding the potential positive effects of KAZA on the tourism industry included:
savings resulting from the pooling of resources, cooperation and collaboration between lodges,
increased wildlife numbers, uplifting local people through conservation, more movement of tourists
and animals, with positive effects on the Upper Zambezi region in particular. However, respondents
also stated that these effects will depend on how realistic the goals of the initiative are, and how the
governments agree to them. Caution was noted against splintered thinking halting good ideas.
In terms of the possible impacts on tourism visitation patterns, respondents stated that the initiative
has the potential to integrate destinations better and over a wider area leading to a wider choice for
tourists, it may allow for a reduction of levies associated with moving tourists to neighbouring
countries, migrating animals should improve the quality of game viewing and tourism movements,
easier border crossings for all (tourists and locals) should follow, the length of stay of tourists in the
region may increase, and the confidence of tourists to visit new/other areas may also occur.
Positive impacts of the initiative on park quality were stated to be: improvements due to increased
game movements, the possible re-introduction of species, the stimulation of research and pooling of
ideas. Management costs may be reduced by removing fences, the initiative helping to reduce
poaching and an increase in environmental education.

27
Respondents mentioned the likely increase in human–wildlife conflict as a possible negative
consequence of the initiative, as well as potentially contributing to conflicts between park officials in
different countries (through competition for resources – financial and technical).
In terms of other possible impacts of KAZA, respondents stated that the initiative may assist to
improve game where it is depleted, contribute to poverty alleviation, allow locals to experience
wildlife resources as tourists as costs may come down. KAZA could pull back the borders allowing
the area to be seen as a regional destination; and it may be a good way to promote peace and will
increase cooperation and help find commonalities in culture, economics and politics.
3.5 Accommodation, Caprivi, Namibia
26 enterprises were surveyed, of a possible 30. However, the results of only those who were open
during 2004 are presented below (n=24). Results for all 26 establishments surveyed are presented in
Section 3.5.7.
Of the 19 enterprises with bednight capacity, 32 per cent of enterprises offered rooms up to 20 beds,
58 per cent had between 21 and 40 beds, and the remaining 10 per cent had 41 or more beds. Out of
the 24 establishments, 15 offered camping facilities, ten offered camping and rooms, five had only
camping, and nine only rooms. Room rack rates varied between NAD30 ($US5) and NAD 2,210
($US350) in Caprivi in 2004.
Table 59 Capacity per night of Caprivi establishments, 2004
Annual (bednight) capacity 351,130 14,630 13,870 4,380 32, 850
The average length of stay per establishment was 2.19 nights, ranging between one and six nights per
stay. The overall bednight occupancy rate for the region was 19 per cent, ranging between two and 49
per cent.
Table 60 Share of accommodation sector by ownership type, Caprivi, 2004
n=24 No. of
establishments
% of total Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Private 15 63 62 72 84 79
Communal 5 21 19 7 1 3
Corporate 3 13 13 15 15 15
Other 1 4 6 6 0 3
Table 61 Share of accommodation sector by owner residence and ethnicity, Caprivi, 2004
n=24 No. of
establishments
% of
total
Capacity
(%)
Bednights
sold (%)
Turnover
(%)
Employment
(%)
Owner’s residence
Local 12 50 49 41 20 33
KAZA - - - - - -
Foreign - - - - - -
Other* 9 38 38 45 65 52
Corporate 3 13 13 15 15 15
Owner’s ethnicity
Black 5 21 19 7 1 3
White 13 54 50 60 77 66
Black/white partnership - - - - - -
Other 3 12 18 18 7 16
Corporate 3 13 13 15 15 15
* mixed partnerships

28
Of the three corporate establishments, headquarters were in Windhoek (2) and Kasane (1).
Although 50 per cent of businesses are locally owned, they generated only one-fifth of turnover in
Caprivi; in contrast to mixed partnerships which generated more than half of total revenues in the
region. It is perhaps not surprising that black-owned enterprises generated such a small proportion of
total revenue as they are all campsites, and offer product at the lower end of the market.
It is estimated that a total of 30,860 overnight guests visited the Caprivi region in 2004. A breakdown
of the guests’ origin, category and method of booking follows in the tables below.
Table 62 Origin of guests, Caprivi, 2004
Average (%) 26 9 65 100
No. of visitors 8,024 2,777 20,059 30,860
Table 63 Guests by category, Caprivi, 2004
n=24 Self drive/
Independent
Fly-in/
package
Overland Organised
group
Non-tourist
guest
Other Total
Average (%) 62 9 6 1 17 5 100
No. of visitors 19,133 2,777 1,852 309 5,246 1,543 30,860
Table 64 Method of booking accommodation, Caprivi, 2004
n=24 Walk in Direct
booking
Local
hotels/
operators
KAZA
hotels/
operators
Foreign
hotels/
operators
Other Total
Average (%) 42 32 7 0 14 5 100
No. of visitors 12,961 9,875 2,160 0 4,320 1,543 30,860
3.5.3 Time trends
Figure 4 Opening date of Caprivi establishments (n=26)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
<1964 1965-
1969
1970-
1974
1975-
1979
1980-
1984
1985-
1989
1990-
1994
1995-
1999
2000-
2004
2005
Opening date
No.ofestablishments
Most of the establishments in Caprivi are relatively new, with 22 enterprises (85 per cent) having
opened after 1990. One new enterprise opened in the Caprivi in 2005, with six rooms (12 beds) and
camping for 15 people per night, thus adding a further 9,855 bednights to annual capacity.

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